The 2019 Suffolk Holiday Parade will dazzle and entertain families in downtown Suffolk on Saturday night.

The holiday parade is set to begin Saturday at 7 p.m., and is expected to last about one hour, according to Chelsea Price, special events coordinator for Suffolk Parks and Recreation.

The procession of unique parade units will head down West Washington Street, turn up North Main Street and end at Finney Avenue. Bleachers will be set up on North Main Street for spectators.

There are 65 different parade units registered for Saturday, including many local organizations, bands, dance teams, churches, and Santa himself, Price wrote in an email.

A panel of nine judges will decide the winning parade entries for categories like best animal unit, best performance unit and best themed unit.

The theme for this year’s festive parade is “Home for the Holidays.”

“We ask each of the units to uniquely represent this theme with lights, decorations and costume,” Price wrote.

The parade staging area at and around West Washington Street will be closed at 3:30 p.m. and won’t reopen until 7:30 p.m. The parade route along West Washington Street, North Main Street and Finney Avenue will be closed at 5:30 p.m., and will only reopen when all of the parade units are out of the area, according to Price.

The event is free and open to the public, and visitors can park in any of the public parking lots downtown, Price wrote.

“The Godwin Courts Parking Lot is a great place to park, as there will be two vendors selling snacks and hot chocolate near 150 N. Main St. in the fountain park area,” she wrote. The hot chocolate will be a fundraiser for the Suffolk Department of Fire & Rescue.

For more information, contact Price by emailing cprice@suffolkva.us or by calling 514-7250.